1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to building products and, more particularly, to cast and extruded, cementitious tiles covering structures such as roofs.
2. The Background Art
Tiles have been used since ancient times. Clay tile is ubiquitous throughout Europe, the Americas, and other continents. Tiles produce many benefits. One of the benefits is longevity. Tiles, being manufactured predominantly of earthen materials, can survive the ravages of the elements. Nevertheless, tiles are heavy. Moreover, tiles can be rather fragile. High tensile strength is not normally available in tile materials. Moreover, adding the thickness of particular sections in order to improve strength properties becomes a very weighty proposition.
In modern construction, manufacturing processes, shipping, handling, breakage, installation, and so forth affect the utility of the materials. Lightweight is desirable, but unavailable in certain materials. Strength is a benefit, and is often relied on in materials, such as steel in place of wood, and so forth, in order to reduce weight while improving strength therein.
In roofing systems, asphalt shingles have been used for many years. In addition, other types of roofing based on manufacturing materials have been used. In addition, cedar shakes have been a preferred roofing material in certain environments. Nevertheless, wood being a plant material, inherently rots over time and decays, unlike earthen materials such as tiles.
Sealing a roof is a fundamental purpose of roof-covering materials. As a practical matter, a roof must have sufficient slope to shed rain, snow, and heat, effectively. A steeper pitch on a roof becomes problematic. Installation, maintenance, support, and the like for tiles may become a major issue. Thus, tiling systems are needed, which can provide sufficient structural integrity of tiles and which can be installed by methods that are sufficiently durable and economical.
Tiles may be walked upon by workmen during or after installation. Accordingly, breakage of tiles, especially near the overlap regions or in the center or unsupported region, is a common problem.
Breakage may expose, eventually, the interior of a building to water. Roofing systems must shed water and resist leaks. Roofing systems will typically support snow as it freezes, thaws, cycles through freezing and thawing, and eventually is melted or otherwise eliminated from a rooftop.
However, ventilation is not typically provided underneath a tile. Tiles typically close off the spaces underneath so that air is not able to flow upwardly or downwardly along the surface of a roof or otherwise underneath a tile. Moreover, condensation of humidity creates moisture underneath a tile. Wood strips, battens, cleats along the top edge of the tile, and other obstructions used in typical tiling systems may obstruct the flow of water resulting from the condensation. Accordingly, water cannot drain from underneath the tiling system. Also, a tile may break and produce a leakage path of moisture underneath the tile. Conventional tiling systems do not provide for ready runoff of such water. Thus, condensation, leakage, and ventilating air, are obstructed in conventional tiling systems.
What is needed is a tiling system for roofing that provides several advantages. A required advantage is lighter net weight of the roofing load. An additional advantage is greater strength for tiles in order to support against breakage by poor handling and walking on the roof by workmen. Also needed is a ventilation system for providing evaporation of any moisture that may accumulate beneath tiles in a roofing system, as well as providing drainage along the roof surface underneath the tiles.
Another need is a reduction of the damage produced by a tile system on the sealing material that may be placed over the fundamental structure of a roof. For example, rafters may support some kind of decking material, such as plywood or other sheathing. Over the sheathing may be placed a barrier, such as a vapor barrier, moisture barrier, or the like. For example, elastomeric polymer sheets may be used. Likewise, tar paper or asphalt roll paper, or felt, may be used.
Many sealing materials are available, but these materials are no match for the hardness, and abrasiveness of materials typically used in tiles. Accordingly, any tile resting on a surface covering may be cut through by tile edges with time, motion, and the presence of people walking thereon.
Thus, a tiling system is provided in accordance with the invention that obtains several structural advantages and advantages in installation.